Is Marx one of the 10 Greatest Philosophers of all time?

My Answer......To put Marx into the Top Ten we would have to knock off ten of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Hume, Locke, Rousseau, Smith, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, JS Mill, Wittgenstein, Heidegger and Freud in the Western canon let alone Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha in other philosophies (to name a few). Considering that his philosophy is largely a derivative of Hegel’s suffused with the writings of Proudhon, Saint-Simon, Fourier I would argue that top ten is way too generous. Top twenty perhaps but only with a push. Granted his thinking has had a real world impact but more often then not this has come at the detriment of humanity when transformed into practice. In addition his economic ideas around Labour have been shown wanting while his poor grasp of market dynamics were obliterated by Hayek et al. I suspect that his status as a great thinker is more a consequence of his popularity in the revolutionary context as well as the affection he seems to ignite from those who have inherited the Gramscian mantle and all too often dominate schools of philosophies on many a university campus.

Quora Question - What exactly is Donald Trump’s IQ? I am betting that in reality, he does not rank as the genius he claims to be. Who can clarify?

My Answer.
 You cannot make extremely reliable claims with respect to IQ scores going on school grades or report card marks as some have suggested. Nor can they be gauged by anecdotal references to people who may have met Trump. Many students who are intelligent slack at school and work to the minimum necessary level. Also until you have administered a well normed IQ test such as the WAIS or the Stanford Binet all claims with respect to IQ are subject to a high margin of error. In addition IQ tests (including those that are highly g loaded) only provide a snapshot of the intelligence puzzle. There may be over 100 factors (by some accounts) that go into defining what Intelligence really is. 

What we do know is that Trump has been a relatively successful businessman (although he has had his fair share of failures), He also pulled off one of the most stunning election wins in US History, bested two political dynasties and took out a host of well established GOP candidates in the Primaries. Yes he speaks with a simplistic tone but clearly this resonates with his base and has paid dividends. He also more than held his own in the debates against opponents, many of whom had Ivy League pedigrees. This has to count for something in the smarts category putting aside Academic elitism. 

However if speculating is the name of the game (and again I will add the necessary grain of salt) then here goes… As far as his education is concerned he did graduate Wharton with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. While one could argue that his family pulled strings to get him in there the fact of the matter is that he gained his degree from a school that is regularly ranked in the Top 5% of all Business Programs in the US. The average IQ of University students in the US is about 111–113. Wharton is a school that is well above average so it would not surprise me if the average graduate of the school has an IQ somewhere between 125–135 (using a SD of 15…same as the WAIS). Even if Trump was weaker than the average student there (which again is speculation) it is unlikely that his IQ is below 120 let alone 115. Remember he completed his degree. Therefore looking at his accomplishments and factoring in these conditions I would argue that his IQ is at the 125 mark (well in the top 10% range for the general population) - not a genius but more than comfortable for making his mark.. Try the suggestions below or type a new query above.

Quora Question - What do teachers tell students when they (the kids) ask about their religious beliefs?

My Answer.

As a rule of thumb I do not answer questions about my personal life when students ask me. It really is none of their business and it also interferes with the important teacher-student boundary that I believe is necessary for effective pedagogy. However I do sometimes wax into the philosophical when teaching Physics or Astronomy/Earth Science. This largely occurs when discussing the nature of materialism, the origin of life, determinism and causality etc. In this case I make my position clear as a Deist (of Jewish origin). I will outline the atheistic and theistic position but I think its only fair that they should know where my bias comes from if the topic ventures into the arena of the subjective. Having said that, this is an extremely small part of the curricula that I cover and my conscious attempt as a Science teacher is to focus on the objective (99%+ of the courses) where such beliefs play a negligible role.

The Entries for the Alternative History of the Future all come from book A History of the Future.

https://www.amazon.ca/History-Future-Gavin-Kanowitz/dp/159594043X

An Alternative History of the Future - Entry IX

Various blocs built space stations during the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries. These space stations were classified as follows:

Bio-units: Self-sustaining ecosystems, each housing one hundred thousand people, relieved Earth’s population burden in the twenty-first century. Each bio-unit was subdivided into sectors for agricultural production, industrial manufacturing and residential living. Over a thousand bio-units were built during the fifty year period beginning in 2045. Ninety percent of these bio-units were located around Earth, Mars and Venus.

Space forts: The various bloc powers began building space forts throughout the solar system in 2060, beginning with Earth’s space perimeter. These space forts housed twenty-thousand troops and were equipped with long-range nuclear missiles and laser batteries. Space forts played a critical role during the Third World War and the conflicts of the twenty-second century.

Sci-units: Space stations specializing in research and development were first built in 2027 and had proliferated by 2070. Scientific researchers from fields as diverse as biochemistry and geophysics worked together, linked to various library and research institutions. Each sci-unit supported three thousand scientists and their families and many operated as mini-universities.

Space stops: Space stops were built throughout the solar system from 2068 onward, to refuel space ships travelling across the solar system. Eventually, space stops also contained docking bays and temporary residential facilities to accommodate long distance space travellers between planets.

Mini-units: Some small space stations were dedicated to specific activities, like communications, weather monitoring or military intelligence. By 2100, crews of twenty to one hundred people were located in mini-units throughout the solar system.

2046

US troops attack South America

American President Bill Shipton, ordered an attack on the Columbian-Venezuelan jungle region in an attempt to extinguish the area’s drug trade. Though popular in the USA, this move was harshly criticized by Columbia, Venezuela and other AFTN member countries. While the USA escaped any meaningful sanctions, the effort had no long-term impact on the South American drug trade, which was re-established at manufacturing bases on the new hydrocolonies.

IFEA reports on global economic status

A report by the International Forum for Economic Analysis (IFEA), revealed that China, Korea and Vietnam accounted for thirty-five percent of the world’s manufactured goods. African economies showed the highest levels of manufacturing growth at ten percent, double that of most other economic areas. Europe and the USA remained economically wealthy, but were responsible for only eight and seven percent of all manufactured goods respectively, both regions having become largely service-based economies.

2047

Porginine delta causes record rise in energy stocks

Energy stocks on the New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Seoul exchanges, rose to a new record in anticipation of the introduction of porginine delta, a low-velocity petroleum substitute.

EU and AEU sign Treaty of Friendship

Hostilities between the EU and the AEU ended, with the signing of a Treaty of Friendship in Antwerp. Like the first Treaty of Friendship signed between the NEB, AFTN and EU in 2035, the blocs agreed to selective specialization, whereby each bloc focused on a particular sector of the global economy. Selective specialization encouraged trade and discouraged trade conflict.

2048

Outbreak of Strigmathus disease

Strigmathus, a mysterious disease, killed fifteen miners in a northern Bolivian town. Scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, identified the cause as an airborne virus. Though the Bolivian government attempted to contain the virus, it spread, killing 2.3 million people in South America and 800,000 people worldwide. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, Strigmathus disappeared.[1]

2049

Gamma Ray Parallelization technology invented

Developed by physicists Barden Maisher and Dorothea Fry of the Free Earth Research Council, Gamma Ray Parallelization (GRP) used parallel gamma rays, synchronized by coordinated matter-antimatter bombardment, to weaken the ionic structure of metals. GRP significantly increased the rate of metal recycling in manufacturing. By 2070, “grazer beams” used GRP to destroy the structural integrity of enemy spacecraft.

UN Secretary-General killed in Punjabi civil war

United Nations Secretary-General and former Punjabi President Mathas Singh, was assassinated by the People’s Front of Punjabi (PFP).[2] The PFP began its war to establish a fundamentalist Sikh regime in the Punjab in 2044. Three million lives were lost before the PFP was decisively defeated in 2052.

Introduction of EuroBill 117

EuroBill 117 introduced drastic “competitive wage” cuts, inciting labour strikes, violent demonstrations and mass protests throughout Europe. Supporters of 117, including French Prime Minister Jacques Papierse and his Belgian counterpart, Nikolas Raan, who saw the Bill bringing the EU into competitive alignment with the Asian and African blocs, were forced to resign. German Chancellor Margriethe Riedle and British Prime Minister Peter Tollenby, narrowly defeated no confidence votes in the Bundestag and at Westminster respectively. Strong popular opposition throughout the continent prevented the effective implementation of EuroBill 117.

Manned mission explores Saturn

The solar system’s second-largest planet, Saturn, and its moon, Titan, were explored by a joint Russian-Chinese mission under the leadership of Captain Wai Nang aboard the Gagarin.[3]As with the previous exploration of Jupiter,[4] booster jets packs attached to each crew member’s spacesuit allowed the astronauts to leave the spacecraft to survey Saturn’s gaseous makeup. Later Gagarin missions surveyed the other Saturnian moons in the 2050s.

In 2102, the first colony in the Saturnian system was opened for Human settlement on Titan. Eventually, Titan’s sister moons―Dione, Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Mimas, Pan, Phoebe and Tethys―were also settled and Jupiter’s floater colonies were adopted to hover in Saturn’s gaseous exterior. By 2160, there were two hundred and eight million people living in the Saturn system, increasing to five hundred and thirty-seven million people in sixty-five colonies by 2280.

The Saturnian moons, especially Dione, Rhea and Titan, contained vast reserves of porginine fuels. Further porginine deposits, discovered in 2140 within the deeper folds of Saturn, provided even greater reserves.

2050

Hispanic rebellion in the USA

Gangs of youths known as “brigados,” ransacked businesses in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Dallas. The Riots of Summer in the southwestern USA, later referred to as the Hispanic Rebellion, caused $320 billion in damage and only ended when the National Guard was called to intervene.

Social critics blamed the riots on the poverty and oppression of the Hispanic community which, by 2050, was the largest, but least economically successful, minority group in the USA. The federal government responded by instituting Future 2100, an employment initiative aimed at hiring Hispanic workers in the space industry. This program was credited with turning around Hispanic-American relations.

Cliches in Legal based TV Series

1. The divorce lawyer is having an affair with his/her client.
2. The junior lawyer is horribly humiliated in their first case which was clearly over their head to begin with (although I hear this is a truism of the profession).
3. Criminal lawyers will largely have innocent clients.
4. There will be at least one bizarre precedent setting case per episode.
5. Trials always start terribly for the lawyer until the Private Investigator unveils some crucial evidence.
6. The evidence is always released five minutes before the shows end.
7. Clients always hide vital information from the lawyer which the lawyer will find out on their own.
8. There is never any discussion of fees or retainers.
9. Guilty clients will cause an ethical dilemma that will split the firm opinion-wise for the entire episode.
10. All lawyers are eloquent.
11. There is always a legal assistant studying at night to be a lawyer.
12. Every Will is controversial.
13. Cases are decided immediately after crucial evidence is provided. The origin of this evidence is never really discussed.
14. Everybody drawing up a will is a wealthy eccentric.
15. The Judge will call the lawyers into chambers at least once an episode.
16. Justice is not blind to money. The truth always wins.
17. Legal assistants are either young and pretty or extreme battle axes. There are no 'regular person' type legal assistants.
18. A judge is found to be corrupt at least once every three episodes.
19. A lawyer will resort to court room theatrics at least once every two episodes.
20. A lawyer will find the exact legal precedent they are looking for to win the case with minimal research.
21. Court Cases never drag on…Yeah right!!

An Alternative History of the Future - Entry VIII

2044

Operation Biolife

The results of Operation Biolife, the ecological restoration program for the Amazon jungle, was presented by Brazilian Prime Minister Osvaldo da Silva to the United Nations Committee on the Environment. The report showed remarkable success in curbing ecological damage, by instituting localized sustainable development, coupled with rigorous scientific controls.

American tar sands unlocked

Advanced drilling methods finally unlocked deep to reach oil hidden in the Tar Sands of the former Canadian province of Alberta.[1] Ironically, despite this success, petroleum was shortly superseded by a new array of porginine fuels. By the 2070s, only sub-optimum vehicles and older machines used oil-based products.

First “landing” on Jupiter

Space Agency of the American Nations (SAAN)[2] veteran Mike Harwell, led the first manned mission, Armstrong I, to explore Jupiter. Booster jet packs attached to each crew member’s spacesuit, allowing the astronauts to leave the spacecraft and survey Jupiter’s gaseous interior. Twenty-one subsequent Armstrong missions explored the sixteen Jovian satellites, as well as Jupiter’s giant red and black spots.

The first Jovian space colony, Humania-1, was established on Ganymede in 2081. Humania-2 on Europa and Humania-3 on Callisto, were both founded in 2084. The population of the Humania colonies was greatly increased by Earth’s resettlement programs in the 2090s. By 2160, there were twenty-three colonies in the Jovian system, with a combined population of one hundred and eighty million people.

Adapting Earth’s hydrocolony technology, floater colonies hovering in Jupiter’s atmosphere, became viable living environments in the 2120s, each housing one million people. Early warning satellites monitored the planet’s lethal storms, allowing floater colonies to escape energy buildups.

2045

The Duprey crisis

French religious leader Cardinal Jacques Duprey, a Catholic moderate, was assassinated in Nantes, the first of fourteen Catholic figures murdered around the world during a seven-year period. The previously unknown New Order of Christ claimed responsibility. An Interpol investigation identified the Archbishop Wotjek Orislaw as its prime suspect. The conservative Archbishop had once claimed that the Church had to be “purged to save itself,” however, the evidence was insufficient to proceed with charges against him. Pope John Paul IV exploited the suspicions cast upon religious conservatives and seized the opportunity to purge the Vatican of their influence. The assassinations mysteriously ceased in 2052.

Eruption of Mount Fujiyama

The unanticipated eruption of the Japanese volcano Mount Fujiyama, killed one hundred and fifty thousand people. The abysmal failure of hi-tech monitors to predict the eruption, shocked volcanologists worldwide. An earthquake the same year killed thirty thousand people in central Turkey. Pietri Nino, a seismologist at the Earthquake Research Center in Palo Alto, determined that overzealous porginine mining had caused both disasters, by effecting a radical change in continental drift. Nevertheless, business interests successfully resisted calls for regulation of the porginine industry.

An Alternative History of the Future - Entry VII

2039

Islamic uprising in the Middle East

Syrian-Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Bin Aziz, was assassinated by the Pan-Islamic Fundamentalists in the war-torn Bekaa Valley. The cities of Aleppo, Amman and Damascus were racked by the ensuing violence between Islamic militants and forces loyal to the secular government. Similar unrest occurred in Iraq, Algeria and the Egyptian Republic. By joining forces, the four secular Arab powers ultimately defeated the Fundamentalists, however, Islamic Fundamentals continued to wield power in Yemen and Oman.

Invention of the Psion Ray Probe (PiRP)

A sensitive diagnostic instrument, the Psion Ray Probe (PiRP) employed a high energy Psion particle beam to measure matter densities, identifying the extent of tissue damage, as well as characteristics and possible causation. Eventually, the PiRP allowed doctors to map the spread of pathogens through the body. By the late twenty-first century, the PiRP identified medical practitioners as had the stethoscope in earlier generations.

The first space city

Financed by the AEU and Singapore International,[20] Confucius I, the first space city launched into Earth’s orbit, functioned primarily as a medical research and residential facility, with a total population of ten thousand. The space city Solzhenitsyn, an agricultural commune, was launched by the EU and Russian-dominated New Eastern Bloc (NEB) a year later.

2040

The Robotic Revolution

The years between 2040 to 2095, were associated with the Robotic Revolution. Robots were used extensively in various areas, including medicine, dentistry, mining, clerical processing and machine maintenance. The first robot physicians were introduced in 2040 and by 2063, they had essentially replaced the family doctor. Several robot manufacturers, including AndroProbe, accrued large profits as a result of these projects.

Robots also supported planetary colonization during the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries. Able to function without oxygen, robots built settlements and provided essential services in hostile environments on newly colonized planets.

Dream Phoenix endeavour announced

The Australian government and tycoon Simon Haughton, announced a joint venture to transform the Great Sandy and Gibson deserts into habitable areas. New living space was required to house Australia’s large Asian immigrant population. The project was nicknamed “Dream Phoenix,” referring to the Aboriginal spiritual belief of “dream time” and the mythical phoenix bird. Completed in 2054, Dream Phoenix covered 1.2 million square kilometres. This and similar macro-developments in the Sahara and Gobi deserts, served as prototypes for settlements on newly colonized worlds.

Nuclear meltdown in Indiana

The core of a nuclear reactor near Gary, Indiana, melted down and exploded. Fifty-four nuclear workers and two thousand residents died. For the next twenty-five years, crops would not grow within a one-hundred-kilometre radius. The incident, known as the “Near Apocalypse,” shocked America, forcing the Fowler administration to allocate greater funding for research into cold fusion.

2041

Consolidation of art

The Gallery of the Artistic Mind, a multi-million dollar structure, was opened in Rome. Taking over ten years to complete, the Gallery purchased and displayed privately held works of art never before seen by the public. The Gallery was the culmination of a global trend toward the centralization of artistic works for the benefit of a broader audience.

End of monarchy in Britain

With the overwhelming support of the British populace, the Labour government successfully passed a Parliamentary bill, abolishing the monarchy. Only staunch royalists in the Conservative and Liberal-Democrat parties opposed the bill. King William V would forever be known as the last British monarch.

First Moon colony

The first colony on the Moon, Eden Base, was completed in 2041. Jointly financed by the AFTN and a group of leading corporations, Eden Base was designed to house its population in Earthlike gravitational conditions. It underwent several enlargements from 2041 to 2070, increasing its population capacity by two million. However, during the Third World War, the population was decimated, as various Earth interests attempted to gain control of the Moon, for both its mineral resources and as a strategic military base. Eden Base henceforth became known as New Belgium, Humanity’s modern battleground.

2042

ANC loses power in South Africa

After ruling South Africa for forty-eight years, the African National Congress (ANC) was defeated in a general election by the United Front (UF), an opposition group representing White, Coloured, Indian and Zulu interests. The UF supported a loose federation of provinces, as well as a denationalization of major industries. These policies hastened the country’s breakup in 2050, when the Zulus formed their own state, Kwazulu. White separatist groups later established the Oranjie Vrystaat as their own nation.

2043

Elections in East Africa

Citizens of the Eastern African Forum (EAF),[21] elected Peter Mwetebi’s pro-democratic party. Mwetebi brought a new era of Human rights and took a strong stand against corruption in the EAF. The same year, Manis Baroumba of the West African Union (WAU),[22] postponed plans for democratic elections, as member states squabbled over the form of the new political structure.

The Emergence of Regitonics

Parties espousing Regitonic policies, swept municipal elections in France, Italy, Hungary and Poland. Regitonic administrations encouraged government agencies to contract private corporations to deliver social services. Programs as diverse as environmental remediation and drug rehabilitation, were rejuvenated by the prospect of business profitability, stimulating spinoff industries in the process.

 

Porginine Gamma

Porginine gamma, a new high-velocity fuel, was extracted for the first time from the space between the Earth’s mantle and crust. Laser digging, as well as controlled volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, were required. Exxon, British Petroleum, Gazprom and Eurogas established refineries, enabling the use of porginine gamma for space travel. In the 2060s, spacecraft using porginine gamma fuel approached speeds equalling three percent of light.

Non-Existent Circles

A circle is defined as the locus of all points equidistant from a center. As any school kid can tell you a circle has both a circumference and a diameter and the relationship between the two is:

C = Pi*d
where C = Circumference
d = diameter (or 2 *radius)

Now Pi is an irrational number that does not terminate. So that we cannot say with 100% surety what its value is.
Therefore if we know exactly what the circles diameter is there will always be some uncertainty with respect to its circumference and if we know its circumference then its diameter is in doubt.
So we cannot know both its diameter and its circumference. Since a circle has to have both a definable circumference and diameter. We run into a mathematical paradox.

A number of resolutions to this paradox are:
a. Circles don't exist. Neither do other conics dependent on Pi for dimensions.
b. Pi is in reality a rational number.
c. Higher Dimensions account for the uncertainty in circle geometry (ie. 2-D Euclidean Geometry is a simplification even in the flattest worlds) - A String Theory type of Approach.
d. Pi is not a constant but fluctuates somehow creating an illusion of existence.

Another point to consider is whether circle uncertainty is the mechanism behind Heisenberg Indeterminacy? Does it also effect observation and if so how? Its worth thinking about.

External Group Units

Identification with group units forms a vital part in the psychological development of humans (we are social animals after all). In adolescence an external group unit is often sought as an adjunct to the immediate family. In many cases the external group unit supersedes the family as the paramount body of influence for the adolescent, and hence it functions critically in directing the world view of the young adult. Whether the cause of such a drive is genetic (it may be hard-wired into our brains) or environment based is debatable. However the ‘need to fit into a larger-order stratum, a fact that I have seen in many of the students that I have taught is powerful.

It can be argued that a human being passes through several stages of interaction with others, increasing the contact field size at each stage. As an infant the relationship is directed solely toward the parents (usually the mother as a source of nourishment), as a child siblings and close friends become more crucial, while as an adolescent the interaction expands to include members of the respective peer group. The rise of the peer group often brings with it a questioning of some of the parental values. This can lead to a rejection of home values in what as often described as teenage rebellion. Craving a higher meaning and not finding this in peer groups (which are too unstructured and lack authority), the adolescent expands their horizon further exploring the various external group units that exist. These can be sports or club focused but often such organizations lack a spiritual worldview that can replace the solidity lost by foregoing the family unit. The adolescent is then open to be drawn to idealism and its many incarnates, a transition that can be either positive (joining a human betterment group such as Save the Children) or negative (generally one of the us-against-them type philosophies).

The phenomenon of the home-grown terrorist growing up with all the benefits of western society (often from an affluent home) willing to kill and die for a belief is a direct consequence of an extreme but unfortunately not rare identification with an idealism. It is no coincidence that many of these suicide bombers are adolescents as their identification with the external group unit as a replacement for the ‘dead family’ is developing. The Nazis knew this hence their focus on the Youth Movement, as did the Mullahs in Iran who had no shortage of adolescent martyrs for the war against Iraq in the 1980s. In autocratic countries it is not uncommon for children to betray their parents for the ‘cause’, a fact which both Hitler and Stalin (with his Young Patriots) knew only too well.

Adolescents need to feel part of an external group unit that’s far greater than themselves and if no positive outlets exist that can speak to them philosophically and spiritually, its conceivable that they can turn to the dark side with a zeal that can flip Maslow’s hierarchy of needs on its head (survival loses its significance). The drive is that strong and should be further studied.

Western History 96: Who was Sulamein the Magnificent?

The 16^th century was renowned for its powerful monarchs – Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in England, Francis I in France and the Hapsburg's Charles V and Philip II.  The Ottoman Turk Suleiman the Magnificent can be added to the list.

In addition to being a lover of a poetry, a philosopher and a lawgiver, Sulamein was arguably the greatest of all the Ottoman rulers. He ruled between the years 1520 and 1566 doubling the size of the Ottoman Empire. It was during Sulamein’s reign that Mecca and Medina fell into the Ottoman orbit, as did territory in Yemen and Persia (he fought the Safavids). In Europe he seized both Belgrade  (1521) and Hungary (he defeated the Hungarians at Mohacs in 1526) and laid siege to Vienna (1529).

Hapsburg defence would halt his progress at Vienna. He was defeated by Charles V in Tunis in 1535. In the Mediterranean Sulamein defeated the forces of Venice and Spain in 1543 (Nice) and 1558 (Menorca). He was allied with the French forces of Francis I in 1536 in opposition to the Hapsburg enemy (described by the historian Carl Bruckhardt – as the sacrilegious union of the lily and the crescent).

Sulamein could not repeat his success at Malta (1565) that he had had in Rhodes (1522) and his siege of the island failed to drive out the Knights of Malta (St. John) whose fate was spared by the action of a Spanish relief force.

After Sulamein’s death the Ottoman Empire would decline. The defeat at Lepanto  (1571) at the hands of the Holy League (an alliance of Venice, Hapsburg Spain, Papal States, Genoa, Tuscany and several smaller allies) would ensure that this vital body of water would remain in Christian hands.

Trump/Putin Meeting

The following is my take on both the Indictments and the Trump-Putin meeting. It is guaranteed to make nobody happy but I could be wrong (inside joke for fellow Deists).

1. The evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 election is pretty strong. A House Committee of Republicans already showed this some time in 2017. The Report remains redacted. Trump has declined to reclassify it as he wants Mueller investigation to run its course.

2. The meddling (hacking/phishing) occurred under the Obama watch and should have been dealt with more harshly at the time. The Mueller 12 indictments supported by Rosenstein are a reflection of this. They are not essentially new.

3. This is extremely problematic but hardly surprising. Russian cyber attacks on the US go back for some time now. I expect that the reverse is true as well.

4. Both the DNC and RNC were hacked. RNC hacks on new domains were foiled. Several Old RNC Domains (including one by Colin Powell who advised Hillary Clinton on her e-mail server policy) was breached but no significant information was obtained.Hacks did reveal systemic problems within Democratic Party that are disturbing.

5. The DNC hack reflects poor internet security (downright stupidity in some cases) as well as Russian malevolence.

6. It is incumbent on Trump though as the sitting POTUS to take Putin to task on this. Apparently a great deal of the two hour meeting between the two did focus on the topic. It didn't go anywhere as Putin continued to deny such action. Extraditions are unlikely to happen. Not much of note though was achieved in the Helsinki meeting in other key areas – Gas Pipeline, Syria, Iran, Ukraine etc. However there does seem to be working momentum for the future.

7. Despite the problems associated with the various US intelligence agencies (and there are many..only the most close minded would deny this) Trump should not be going after these organizations in public (certainly not with tweets). Nor should he be extolling Russia’s ‘virtues’ at the expense of the US. Conservatives didn’t like this with Obama’s Cairo speech they should be equally critical of Trump.

8. Putin is no friend of the West and no ally to the US. Trump is correct in sitting down with Putin but he needs to show as much of the iron fist as the velvet glove in both word and deed.

9. Cancelling Helsinki was a possibility but I would rather see ongoing dialogue then tit-for-tat snubbing. One can be tough and still talk.

10. The US can approach Russia from a position of strength. The cards are very much in America’s favour. I realize that Trump likes to butter up the other side (not a fan of this myself...however its part of his deal making style) but I don’t believe it is necessary here. Putin can see bullshit right away.

11. The fact that Russia meddled in the 2016 election does not mean that they colluded with Trump in their meddling. There is no evidence in this regard. There is also no evidence that Russian meddling changed the 2016 results. Democrats need to grow up and own this defeat.

12. The notion that Trump is a puppet of Putin is ridiculous. Indeed if you look at Trump’s action (not his words) a great deal of what he has carried out goes against Russian political orthodoxy – this includes his break from the Iran Deal, his movement of the US embassy to Jerusalem, his improved relations with the Saudis, his action in Syria (fight against Russian mercenaries, bombing run), his arming of Ukrainian separatists. None of these are out of the Russian playbook. The fact that he wants NATO (a front against Russia) to spend MORE not less also rubbishes this idea that he is acting in Russia’s best interests.

13. Repeating myself...It is important to realize that there is a big disconnect between what Trump says and what he does (actions). His actions on a foreign policy level reflect an agenda that does serve the US well. ISIS for one has been defeated and Islamism, which looked on the up and up during the Obama years, seems to be stalling (although I am far from writing off this toxicity). Avoiding all out war with Russia and ensuring a workable relationship with the largest nuclear power other than the US seems reasonable to me. Hysteria must not reign.
.
14. The Treason charge is ridiculous. It also poisons the debate further. By such standards Nancy Pelosi should be up for treason for speaking to Assad in Syria (during the Bush years) or indeed Obama should be indicted for offering the Russians (off mike) flexibility with respect to the missile shield. You can't do this. Discussion is part of the political process. Let us stop the overreaction. It achieves nothing.

Unholy Alliances

World history is filled with the story of unholy alliances that have been formed based on convenience and a common goal (or at times hatred).

Here are a few:

1. Soviets/Nazis: The two agreed to divide Poland between each other prior to WWII. The Pact created was supposed to be that of Non-Aggression - a situation that vaporized rapidly when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941 (Operation Barbarossa).

2. Communists/Islamists in Iran: Both joined forces to overthrow the Shah. Once this was achieved in 1979 - the Islamists said 'thank you very much' and systematically began persecuting the Communists - We hate to say I told you so?

3. Ukrainian Nationalists/Nazis: Another WWII alliance of convenience that would see the latter shaft the former - after all the Ukrainian Nationalists were still Slavic Undermenschen in the eyes of the Nazis - regardless of their hatred for the Soviets.

4. RadicalLeftists/Islamists - A very disturbing contemporary phenomenon where both forces are bought together under a common loathing of the US and Western Style Liberalism (not to mention the Jews of course).

5. Radical Leftists/Paleoconservatives - The former detest Liberalism and American Interventionist Politics and the latter American Interventionist Politics and Liberalism (oops is that the same thing). For more on this see the cross-referencing of columnists of each type between the Paleo Antiwar blog and the Leftist Counterpunch. Any American good deed is evil for these guys and like #4 they both hate the Joooos.

6. Syria/Iran: Both have a vested interested in supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Each are both served by a divided and weakened Iraq. Choosing between Syria and Iran is liking picking sides these days between typhoid and cholera. No thank you.

7. Holocaust Deniers/Jihadists
Read: Holocaust Deniers

Flashback to 2007

I wrote this in 2007...

14 Political Figures who have disappointed me.

1. Jimmy Carter - Has turned into an apologist for the Hate Israel chattering Class

2. Al Gore - Has gone astray with the Green Global Warming hysteria - although I still hope that he runs for the Dems and beats out Hilary for the Presidential Nomination
3. Dubya - Not tough enough on illegal immigration and affirmative action. Handling of Iraq situation has been poor.
4. Colin Powell - Way too soft on terror. Calls to close Gitmo were irresponsible.
5. Michael Ignatieff - Took a strong line against terror when he was an acdemic but backpeddled on this when running for Liberal Leadership in Canada.
6. Ehud Olmert - Once took a hardline against Palestinian violence but after releasing 250 terrorists and before then mismanaging the fight against Hezbollah Olmert has declined remarkably in my books.
7. John McCain - Like Bush is way too easy on illegal immigration.
8. Mitt Romney - Changes positions like the wind.
9. Gordon Brown - Chooses correctly to fight terror while refusing to address its Islamist Source.
10. Barack Obama - At one time he seemed like a fresh voice in Congress now looks like the front runner for the Dem's increasingly growing Radical Left.
11. Tony Blair - An unfair critic of Israel. Refused to take the same hardline approach opposing Palestinian terrorists that he did against their Al Quaeda collegaues.
12. Ron Paul - While I agree with some of his libertarian ideas his support of an American policy of isolationism is irresponsible.
13. John Edwards - At one time appeared rational but after his 'War on Terror bumper sticker comment' appears as though he has hurdled the moon.
14. David Cameron - Seems more Neville Chaimberlain than Winston Churchill in opposition. Lets hope that this changes after he comes to power.

Quiz - Know The Brain

From the following clues name the structure

1.Sits at the bottom of the brain. Has cauliflower shape. Thought to control the timing of movement.
2.Outer gray matter. Involved in higher brain functions.
3.Located inside the temporal lobe. Memory and navigation are its key functions.
4.The stalk of the brain. Connects forebrain to cerebral hemispheres. Controls respiration and cardiac rhythms.
5.Brain structures that control emotion. It is one of the oldest parts of the brain.
6.Part of Central nervous system it regulates blood pressure, hunger, thirst and heart rate.
7.Starts with an A. This structure that regulates aggression and fear is part of the brain’s medial temporal lobe.
8.The lower part of the Brain Stem. Controls autonomic functions.
9.Joins two hemispheres of brain.
10.Lobe in cerebrum that is located above occipital lobe and behind frontal lobe. Thought to integrate sensory information from different senses.
11.Type of brain matter associated with information processing.
12.A structure that emerges from a neuron. It is not the dendrite.


Answers

1.Cerebellum.
2.Cerebral cortex.
3.Hippocampus.
4.Brain Stem.
5.Limbic System.
6.Hypothalamus.
7.Amygdala.
8.Medulla oblongata.
9.Corpus callosum.
10.Parietal lobe.
11.Grey matter. White matter is associated with information transmission.
12.Axon – conducts electrical impulses from neuron.

On Fascism

It can and has been successfully argued that Fascism is actually a far left phenomenon. A type of Socialism with a nationalistic as opposed to an international focus. Right Wing causes tend to be more individualistic. Left Wing ideals are based more on group think.

Fascism has a group think mentality that is ultimately driven by Social Engineering (very much a left wing force). It opposes existing establishments and is therefore non-conservative. It also seeks to remold society in its own image upward by destroying the existing infrastructure through radical transformation. This is a characteristic of Stalinism, Maoism, Marxist-Leninism, International Socialism and of course National Socialism or Fascism.

Its no co-incidence that such a Fascist politician as Benito Mussolini was an ex-socialist.The transition was easy to make. Both philosophies for one believe in strong government involvement and nationalization of industry (controlled economy) to meet an agenda. Modern day Fascists such as Lyndon LaRouche are following in Mussolini's footsteps and have made the 'small leap from Communist to Fascism. Chavez in Venezuela has made the switch the other way.

A Far Right Philosophy is more likely to be that of Strict Libertarianism that seeks to reduce government involvement to a minimum - opposing all types of social engineering and nationalization.Its one of the giant misconceptions that Fascism is Rightist as it fails to agree to this classification when analyzed strictly.

Left wing historians prefer to brand Fascist ideologies such as Nazism and Islamic Fundamentalism (to superficially distance themselves from either one) but when analyzed critically against the excesses of the 'f'ormal' left in China (Cultural Revolution), USSR (Purges and Forced Famines), Cambodia (Killing Fields) and North Korean (complete economic overhaul and famine) the similarities are uncanny